It was the night a beauty contestant turned ugly. When Miss California was asked her opinion on same-sex marriages by an openly gay judge she could have chosen a diplomatic reply. Instead, 21-year-old Carrie Prejean answered with honesty.

But in saying marriage should be between a man and a woman, it was a reply that may have cost her the Miss USA crown and led to her being called a ‘dumb bitch’.

Prejean, a blonde student, was one of the favourites to win the Miss USA title at the pageant held on Sunday at the Planet Hollywood hotel and casino in Las Vegas and shown live on TV. Having negotiated earlier rounds of modelling in a swimsuit and evening gown, she was down to the final 15 and had to answer a single question from one of the panel of five judges.

Prejean picked celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who is openly gay and calls himself ‘queen of all media’. Hilton asked her “‘Vermont recently became the 4th state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit. Why or why not?’

Prejean paused for a moment before replying: ‘Well, I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage.’ She continued: ‘And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. ‘No offence to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be – between a man and a woman. Thank you very much.’

Hilton went on to describe Prejean as having ‘half a brain‘ and said he would have stormed onto the stage and ripped off her tiara if she had won.

There was speculation that the reply had cost her the Miss USA crown, as she was named runner-up with Miss North Carolina, Kristen Dalton, winning the title.

Prejean, who has been linked to Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps, found support from others within the pageant. Charmaine Koonce, the mother of Miss New Mexico USA Bianca Carla, said: ‘In the Bible it says marriage is between Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve.’

Courtney Friel of Fox News said on Greta Van Sustern’s show last night that “Carrie (Miss California) feels very strongly that God was testing her and testing her faith — and that she needed to be true to that.”

Carrie Prejean: I had a gut feeling. I knew he was controversial, and so was the question. Out of all the topics I studied up on, I dreaded that one, I prayed I would not be asked about gay marriage. If I had any other question, I know I would have won.

FOXNews.com: Did you think right away your answer may have killed your chances of winning?

Carrie Prejean: Yeah, I thought I was going to be 4th runner up for sure. I was surprised I made it to first runner up!

FOXNews.com: Before “the question,” did you think you would win Miss USA?

Carrie Prejean: There was a lot of talk about me, people saying I was the frontrunner. During the whole two-week experience leading up to the pageant, I was very confident and relaxed. Not too nervous.

FOXNews.com: Were you sad you didn’t win? Did you go to the party afterwards, or go home and cry?

Carrie Prejean: No, I got together with my family. I ate my first hamburger in a long time!

FOXNews.com: Has the Miss Universe organization contacted you at all? What about your Miss California USA directors?

Carrie Prejean: I haven’t been told anything. I didn’t even see the Miss California directors after the pageant.

FOXNews.com: Are you upset that Perez Hilton called you a “b**ch” in his blog rant?

Carrie Prejean: Yes, but I have no regrets about answering honestly. He asked me for my opinion and I gave it to him. I have nothing against gay people, and I didn’t mean to offend anyone in my answer.

Let’s be honest here, unlike Perez Hilton. It was a politically charged question which had no place in the Miss USA pageant, and Hilton asked it precisely to draw attention to himself and cause controversy among the straights, as he knew it would.

Carrie Prejean answered with honesty and tact, commenting on how we can make free choices in this country, no matter what those choices are.

Hilton is lying through his teeth when he says it was Prejean’s lack of intelligence that angered him. He’s not angry — he’s patently furious at her. He’s angry that his little pro-gay stunt was easily and neatly deflected by Carrie Prejean.

And I’d have loved to have seen him “storm onto the stage and ripped off her tiara if she had won.” That would have not only been assault and battery; it would have also demonstrated openly that he was doing everything possible to ruin her chances to win.